Courtesy of GSU Athletic Communications
BASEBALL
The Grambling State University baseball team by as many as eight run, but couldn’t hold on Alabama A&M’s rally, falling 15-14 in the Cactus Jack HBCU Classic at Daikin Park on Sunday afternoon.
The Tigers beat Jackson State 8-7 and Southern 20-10 in their first two games of the event.
On Sunday, GSU (2-1) opened up a 9-1 lead but struggled on to silence AAMU’s (1-2) offense.
The Tigers used six pitchers on the afternoon with Trenton Shaw getting the start. The hard-throwing righty made it 2.0 innings, surrendering five runs on four hits. He registered five strikeouts.
Javier Martinez (0-1) was tagged with the loss after entering the game in the ninth inning and giving up a run. John Decoste, Payton Allen, Derrell Fletcher also saw action on the mound.
Offensively, Grambling State racked up 14 runs on 12 hits with Trey Bridges and Aries Gardner both logging 3 hits. Bridges was 3-for-5with three RBI, two doubles and a triple. Gardner was 3-for-4 with four RBI, a triple and a home run.
In the top of the first inning, Grambling State’s Martavious Thomas and Nyan Hayes drew leadoff walks. Trey Bridges brought both runners around to score with a one out 2-RBI double. After stealing third, Bridges plated the Tigers’ third run on a wild pitch.
Aries Gardner walloped a 2-run home to right field, extending GSU’s lead to 5-0 in the opening frame.
Alabama A&M scored its first run of the contest in the bottom of the first when B Hammons laced an RBI single. GSU pitcher Trenton Shaw got out of a bases loaded jam with a strikeout to end the inning.
GSU responded with another big inning in the top of the second, scoring four runs to go up 9-1. Bridges hit his second RBI double of the day, scoring Thomas who reached base on a walk earlier in the inning. A fielding error at shortstop allowed the Tigers to plate another run. An RBI single by Shannon Brown and an RBI triple by Aries Gardner closed the scoring in the frame.
AAMU scored four runs in the bottom of the second, cutting GSU’s lead to 9-5.
The Tigers made a pitching change in the third inning, replace Shaw with John Decoste. A pair of bases loaded wild pitches allowed Alabama A&M to pull closer, 9-7.
In the top pf the fourth, and runners on second and third for the Tigers, a passed ball allowed another GSU run to come home. A sacrifice fly by Gardner pushed Grambling’s lead to 11-7
Alabama A&M trimmed GSU’s advantage down to 11-10 with three runs in the fifth.
Leading 12-10 in the seventh inning, a sacrifice fly by Cameron Hill made it 13-10. Following a triple by Bridges, Chenar Brow roped a sinle into left field, bring Bridges home and moving to lead to 14-10.
A four-run eighth inning for the Bulldogs tied the game at 14-14. In the ninth, AAMU’s Charles Morris hit a leadoff single. After Brandon Edwards entered the game to pinch run, Issac Castro hit a walk-off RBI single to hand GSU the loss.
Alabama A&M reliever Raymond Clark (0-1) earned the win after giving up one hit with three strikeouts and three walks.
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SOFTBALL
Grambling State split its Friday matchups at the Turner Lake Softball Complex, earning a dominant 9-0 shutout victory over Maryland Eastern Shore (0-1) before falling 8-5 in extra innings to Howard (3-2).
In the opener, the Lady Tigers (2-3) set the tone early, scoring two runs in the first inning. Kamryn Broussard’s RBI triple brought in Kaytlyn Moore, followed by a groundout from Tavia Leadon that allowed Broussard to cross the plate.
Grambling State extended its lead to 4-0 in the second when Cadashia Collins delivered a key single up the middle, driving in Deija Russell and Hailey Hughes.
A five-run fourth inning put the game out of reach, as bases-loaded walks to Collins, Broussard, and Leadon pushed three more runs across before Z’Natria Evans capped the scoring with a two-RBI sacrifice fly.
Erin Gibbs (1-2) was nearly untouchable in the circle, tossing a complete-game shutout, allowing just one hit while striking out three over five innings.
Later in the evening, Grambling State (2-4) engaged in a hard-fought battle with Howard, ultimately falling 8-5 in extra innings.
The Lady Tigers struck first in the opening inning on Leadon’s RBI single, but Howard responded with a bases-loaded walk in the second and an RBI double in the third to take a 2-1 lead.
Grambling State tied the game in the bottom of the third when Katelynn Walls lifted a sacrifice fly to score Collins. However, Howard capitalized on defensive mistakes in the fifth to plate two unearned runs, then added another on an RBI double in the sixth for a 5-2 lead.
The Lady Tigers refused to go down quietly. In the seventh, Broussard doubled to center to score Lexi Hope, and Leadon came through with a clutch two-run triple, bringing home Broussard and Collins to tie the game at 5-5 and force extra innings.
However, defensive struggles in the eighth proved costly, as Howard took advantage of errors to score three unearned runs. The Lady Tigers were unable to rally in the bottom half, as Howard’s Jordin King secured the save.
Despite the loss, Grambling State saw strong individual performances. Collins went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, while Leadon finished 3-for-4 with three RBI. Broussard and Walls also contributed RBIs. Pitcher Yasmyn Stewart (0-2) battled through eight innings, allowing only two earned runs in a tough loss.
